Base Relief

We intend for your super groups to have bases! Now aren’t you relieved?

Here is how we intend to do it.

Hopefully on launch day, you will be able to acquire and personalize a base for your Super Team (as opposed to personal housing; that is a different subject). The primary method of acquisition has not yet been determined and may or may not require a minimum level or a tutorial mission in addition to expenditures of in-game currency (it may or may not be possible to acquire base item via real money in addition to in game currency).

The base will start off as a large area, ready for you to fill it with stuff. In addition to standard furniture you will be able to include some new toys, including windows that peek out (into an instanced version of the zone indicated by the entrance/base type). With the base Type, you will also be given a set of appropriate decor (the Mogul Kickstarter Perk gives you a specific unique building that only you can connect a base to, along with the appropriate decor, in addition to the basics). You can then begin to add areas to the base over time, growing it. The maximum size your base can grow to depends on your base type.

Groups have more than one person in them (usually); your teammates will all be able to contribute their decor to a base as well. If you leave, you will be able to take you own decor with you; ‘ghosts’ of your items will remain behind so your erstwhile teammates will know what they need to replace. Each teammate with All Your Base or Mogul can provide an additional door to the base (that is in addition to the starter door).

However, you are not limited to the decor appropriate to your door. If you acquire additional decor, you can have an apartment elevator that delivers you to your secret underground Mole Cave or whatever you prefer. Or for that matter, windows in your sewer base that look out into Alexandria; whichever you prefer. We won’t judge.

Our Base Editor is to use the same technology as the Story Map Editor we plan to use to build the game, so you will have access to a similar level of customizability.

With the increases in technology over the intervening years and the excellence of the Unreal Engine, we also hope to have several features that were simply not possible in the old days, like curving/sloping/slanted floors, and multi-story bases.

“But what about…”

Let me stop you right there. There are a LOT of other aspects of bases and related systems that we have thought about and will be working out, but which we don’t have time and space to get into in this Update, including:

- PvP Base Raids

- PvE Base Raids

- ‘Personal’ Bases

- Build-your-own Stories

We know you are all chock full of ideas! What we can implement (especially at Launch) will as always depend on support, resources and time. And we will grow what is available over time as well.

Ultimately, where you hang your cape is your home. We intend to give you the same flexibility for your home that we intend to with your characters themselves.

Comments

At some point in the future (doesn't need to be at launch) could we have access to base furniture that is appropriate for a rec-room i.e. pinball machines, pedestal video games, pool tables and dart boards? Those models existed in COH but we never got to add them to our bases.

I also like Diane's idea of some mission rewards including trophies that you can put in your base. And PvE raids are a good idea if, as it was mentioned before, we can somehow ensure that they don't happen during important RP events.

I've never heard of PvE base raids, but that would be awesome! I never PvP if I can avoid it, so this would let me enjoy a raid experience too. It would be great if that PvE raid on your base only began a line of missions to figure out where the attack came from, trace it back to its source, then raid the PvE villain's base!

I also completely agree with RWarren that NPC versions of offline Super Group member characters lounging around the base would be excellent! It would be perfect if they had a single line of "AFK" dialog that the player had entered at some point, that the character would say every time an active player clicked on him or her, but that's all just details.

Yay! the SG base is necessary for any hero game. The idea of having a base or residence for my superheroes would be a spectacular addition to the experience. My poor superhero might work a low paying night/day job just like spidermann, living a seemingly modest existence and then put the costume on and be a superfamous crimefighter. Maybe I am a rich recluse and during my free time I use my vast resources and technology to defend the city. The face that both PVP/PVE is being discussed adds a whole new dimension to base building.

I think you are covering all the bases(pun intended) as regards to the superhero.villian experience. Keep it up folks!

Remember the Bat Cave from the Silver Age? The giant Joker penny, the trex model, all those nifty "what the heck is that" trophies? Do you think it would be possible to incorporate trophies from your various missions into the decor?

@MWM You know... hear me out, here... I love the theme for the screensaver and mugs... @MWM: Does this mean you're going to be able to sell 'advertisement space' on such things? Perhaps an endorsement from Pepsi/Coke, Nascar or the like? Unless all the advertisements were 'in your face', I think it might help the immersion as well as make some cash on the side for server maintenance?

Loved the idea of having a base that actually had function instead of just for looks. The idea of base raids seemed awesome as well. I'd like to see a variety of instanced versions of bases. A NoVE/P version that members can go to without worrying about any PvE/PvP action to just chill or have their meetings, a dual PvE raid version that would allow SG members to defend the base against a PvE assault and then a PvE raid version that would let other people attack other bases while going against PvE defenders (defense and assault mission types?), and then finally a PvP assault version (again defense and assault missions).

It would be great if there were various upgrades you could add for the PvE (both versions) and PvP versions.

Upgrades to the PvE version could give more options as to how defend/assault missions go. A newbie base that contains a duct taped power cord and an old 386 SX PC might not be quite as exciting or difficult as some mega base with automated laser defense systems, security bots, etc. PvE in a mega base could involve some epic battles, acting like a dungeon raid. Smaller bases would be similar to other instanced door missions.

The same upgrades would affect PvP by providing aid in defense and make assaults more challenging (and rewarding).

Then of course some sort of perk system would be neat. Track success/failure rates for defense and assault missions (for both PvE and PvP), and reward accordingly. Not sure what those rewards would be. Non game influencing things like vanity items for the base, bonus buffs when defending/assaulting, resources needed to expand the base or make upgrades, etc.

Any chance I could add to the 'NPC in bases request'? What if we could have NPC versions of offline supergroup characters or our own alts in the supergroup? Obviously not a big thing for release, but perhaps further down the line? It would really add to the immersiveness of the SG bases.

AWESOME!!! This is good info to release. I was a base builder and spent hours upon hours trying to get my base looking and functioning like my vision my base should look. I would hope that a majority of in game textures are available for use. Also, I hope that there is a function that allows us to have a few nps's to give a bit more life to the base. These things would be on my wish list for the start of the game, more to come later.

Will you include a simple, easy way for a person to add their own characters into their own Super Group? Once you start a SG, most often you want all or many of your own characters in that group and it is often a pain in the ass to coordinate being on at the same time as another member expressly for the intent of adding a new alt to the SG (and especially if the group is a smaller SG).

The more I hear, the more excited I get about this. Now I have TWO reasons to look forward to 2016! :) BTW... My finances limited my pledge. If I am able to give more later, will that be possible? And would the donations stack?

The most important thing for this is that raids not interfere with base design. CoH's bases were only able to work how they did because PvP mode was turned off, after all! Also, while in comics many times a random raid of a base can occur, I'm sure you know this, but it would be one heck of a pain in the butt if one happened during an important team meeting, or some important special RP! :) Look forward to how this works out!